Bizman loses Rs73L to online betting racket operating mirror websites

Hyderabad: A 33-year-old businessman from AC Guards has lodged a complaint with the Hyderabad Cyber Crime police alleging that he lost over Rs73 lakh to an organised online betting racket operating through a network of mirror websites.In his complaint filed on Feb 14, the victim stated that fraudsters, posing as tele-callers and customer support executives of an online portal named ‘BetInExchange', lured him into betting on cricket matches, teen patti, and casino games between Jan 2025 and Jan 2026.
The complainant initially deposited Rs20,001 and reportedly earned a profit of Rs5,000, which convinced him of the platform's authenticity. Over the next 13 months, he transferred nearly Rs1 crore - including funds from his wife's bank accounts - to multiple bank accounts, UPI IDs, and cash deposit machines provided by the operators.According to the victim, the accused initially credited over Rs20 lakh to his betting account. However, when he attempted to withdraw larger amounts, his access was blocked. He was then redirected to allied websites - BetInExchange247, FunInExchange, FunInMatch 360, and Funinmatch555 - with assurances that he could recover his losses.The victim alleged that each time a website was blocked or shut down, the fraudsters redirected users to new mirror domains and continued the scheme. "Due to the fraudulent betting sites, I suffered a loss of Rs73 lakh," he said in his complaint.Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act; Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; and Sections 3 and 4 of the Telangana Gaming Act on Saturday.